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Obama Offers Faith Groups New Birth Control Rule

Obama Offers Faith Groups New Birth Control Rule

Friday, 01 Feb 2013 12:05 PM

The Obama administration on Friday proposed a work-around for religious nonprofits that object to providing health insurance that covers birth control.

The government's new regulation attempts to create a barrier between religious groups and contraception coverage, through insurers or a third party, that would still give women free access to contraception. It wasn't immediately clear whether would accept the new approach, or whether it would stem the tide of lawsuits across the country that have challenged the requirement to provide such coverage.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops had no immediate reaction, saying it was studying the regulations. Policy analyst Sarah Lipton-Lubet of the American Civil Liberties Union said the rule appeared to meet the ACLU's goal of providing "seamless coverage" of birth control for the affected women.

In its new rule, the Department of Health and Human Services argued that the change wouldn't impose new costs on insurers because it would save them money "from improvements in women's health and fewer child births."

The regulation is part of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, known as the Affordable Care Act. The birth-control rule, first introduced a year ago, became an election issue, with advocates for women praising the mandate as a victory and religious leaders decrying it as an attack on faith groups.

The new health care law requires most employers, including faith-affiliated hospitals and nonprofits, to provide health insurance that includes artificial contraception, including sterilization, as a free preventive service. The goal, in part, is to help women space out pregnancies to promote health.

Under the original rule, only those religious groups which primarily employ and serve people of their own faith - such as churches - were exempt. But other religiously affiliated groups, such as church-affiliated universities and Catholic Charities, were told they had to comply.

Roman Catholic bishops, evangelicals and some religious leaders who have generally been supportive of Obama's policies lobbied fiercely for a broader exemption. The Catholic Church prohibits the use of artificial contraception. Evangelicals generally permit the use of birth control, but some object to specific methods such as the morning-after contraceptive pill, which they argue is tantamount to abortion.

Obama had promised to change the birth control requirement so insurance companies - and not faith-affiliated employers - would pay for the coverage, but religious leaders said more changes were needed to make the plan work.

Since then, more than 40 lawsuits have been filed by religious nonprofits and secular for-profit businesses claiming the mandate violates their religious beliefs. As expected, this latest regulation does not provide any accommodation for individual business owners who have religious objections to the rule.

In the latest version of the rule, houses of worship remain exempt. If a nonprofit identifies itself as religious and has private insurance, the private insurer will work directly with women employees to provide coverage for contraception. Many religious nonprofits, however, are self-insured. In those cases, a third party, not the religious employer, would handle the coverage.

John Gehring, Catholic program director at Faith in Public Life, a liberal advocacy group based in Washington, called the compromise "a strong signal that the administration is responsive to the concerns of Catholic institutions."

The Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative religious liberty group which is representing several for-profit businesses in lawsuits over the regulation, said it would continue to press for exemptions for business owners in court. So far, about 10 businesses have obtained temporary injunctions against the regulation while their cases move through the courts.

The latest version of the mandate is now subject to a 60-day public comment period. The mandate takes effect for religious nonprofits in August.

I read somewhere else that Obamacare has made provision only for organizations that are both Catholic and nonprofit. Other Christian organizations? No. Other religious organizations? No. Private employers? No.

Still violates the 1st and 14th Amendments - freedom of religion and equal protection under the law.

Nice! And I thought the president's number one job is to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, so help me God.

I read somewhere else that Obamacare has made provision only for organizations that are both Catholic and nonprofit. Other Christian organizations? No. Other religious organizations? No. Private employers? No.

Still violates the 1st and 14th Amendments - freedom of religion and equal protection under the law.

Nice! And I thought the president's number one job is to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, so help me God.

If you don't want the birth control just don't get it! Just because it's on your health insurance doesn't mean you have to use it. Also do you realize how many Catholics use birth control such as the pill or condoms? But I agree, Obama needs to stay out of peoples bedrooms and religious choices of what to do concerning contraception.

I read somewhere else that Obamacare has made provision only for organizations that are both Catholic and nonprofit. Other Christian organizations? No. Other religious organizations? No. Private employers? No.

Still violates the 1st and 14th Amendments - freedom of religion and equal protection under the law.

Nice! And I thought the president's number one job is to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, so help me God.

This does not violate our constitution. Freedom of religion means you have the right to worship as you see fit personally, it does not mean you have the right to force your religious views on anyone else. These religious organization do not have the right to force others who may not be their religion who work for them to be stripped of their rights. Besides, if the organization wants to do without certain things with insurance, all they have to do is refuse any government funds and fund their insurance privately. But because they are receiving government benefits, then they have to follow government rules, because as you say "freedom of religion and equal protection under the law" is our right.

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